Promises, holiness and the fear of God

2 Cor 7.1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

A couple of posts ago, we talked about how Jesus is the Amen to all of the the promises of God. Today’s passage directs our attention to another side of God’s promises: human responsibility. God’s promise that Paul just mentioned was God’s call to come out of the world in order to be sanctified and live for Him. In order for us to come out of the world, there needs to be a cleansing of anything and everything in our flesh or spirit. Our calling is to be holy, as He is holy. And we engage in that process in a full awareness of the fear of God. A fear of misrepresenting Him. A fear of dishonoring Him. A fear of breaking fellowship with Him.

The previous promise that Paul spoke of to the Corinthians was “wherefore, come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” This call to come out is not meant to mean that adopt a “holier than thou” attitude towards those who are lost. If anything, it is meant to cause them to see how the gospel does indeed transform our lives into something that never existed before. Praise God!! Peter writes about this transforming change that takes place as we walk in the promises of God this way. “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make [you that ye shall] neither [be] barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Beloved, God’s kingdom is the kingdom of truth and life. The world system is a kingdom of lies and death. Why has Christ come and revealed His grace to us? “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” Once you put your hand to the plow to follow Jesus, don’t look back.